Canadian pride: Frank Shebageget
From northwestern Ontario, thoroughly educated artist Frank Shebageget enjoys making the aesthetic value of everyday objects as he sees them apparent to others. Through the use of repetition, he explores the beauty in mass production—but don’t be fooled, like many sculptors, his work is painstakingly calculated and precise. Shebageget has held a rather impressive number of exhibitions, most of which involve an array of semi-minimalist presentations. Some of Shebageget’s works hold undertones of his Canadian background, but at the same time, his overall theme is quite modern. An artist’s stateme...Read more
The Inflatable Bag Monsters of Joshua Allen Harris
For all you packrats who, like me, keep a cupboard stuffed full of grocery bags you feel too guilty to throw away and too overwhelmed to re-use, Joshua Allen Harris proves that with ingenuity and the help of a hot air vent, you too can finally unload your staggering collection of hazardous plastic. Plus, there's the added bonus of finally releasing that terrible inner beast gnawing away at your fragile, eco-friendly ego — your conscious. ...Read more
Oliver Bishop Young's Dumpsters Transformed
Table tennis skip for YCN from OliverBishopYoung on Vimeo. See more from Oliver Bishop Young Here...Read more
Vik Muniz Masters with Trash and Treasure
Mother and Children 2008 (Pictures of Garbage Series) Brazillian born photographer Vik Muniz wants to trick us. And though slight of eye amazement makess up a large part of his visual repertoire, unlike a magician, Muniz reveals the mystery within the illusion itself. His large scale sculptural series Pictures of Garbage (2008), Pictures of Junk (2006) and Pictures of Diamonds (2004), play on they eye's limited visual field to continually reveal and camouflage classical and pop imagery. Up close what appears to be a series of randomly assorted dumpster items, at a distance reforms into a reproduction of a classical Greek Myth; stand back from coveting those sparkling rows of p...Read more
Looking Back at Trash Shadows of Tim Noble & Sue Webster
You might not recognize their faces if you were to pass them on the street, but once you've seen the shadows of Tim Noble and Sue Webster, you're not likely to forget their forms. Like Christo and Jean Claude before them, this controversial couple work in tandem to create works that both critique and perpetuate the idea of art as spectacle. Pairing the language and imagery of advertising with the now often co-opted and commercialized opposition to commercialization, punk, the duo thrives off of conflict. Combining sex and violence, fame and infamy, trash and treasure, they evoke the initial wide-eyed response synonymous with that particular club of British art miscreants turned international...Read more
Toilet Paper Faces of Junior Fritz Jacquet
Aside from the occasional kindergarten craft tool or stoner smoke diffuser, toilet paper rolls tend to end their lives in recycle bins as the disposable afterthought of human waste, both manufactured and biological. However, French artist Junior Fritz Jacquet transforms this material, scrunching and painting lavatory cardboard to create little faces or masques as he calls them. And while these little frowners definitely recall tribal figures, like miniature Maoi from Easter Island, it's hard not to imagine the artist chuckling at the thought of creating constipated dieties from Tee Pee. ...Read more
The ill Art of Tara Donovan
New York artist Tara Donovan uses repetition and scale to transform mundane objects like styrofoam cups, fishing line and drinking straws into elegant sculptural landscapes of geometric beauty. Take into consideration the fact that her work is both temporary and requires the purchase and eventually disposal of a massive amount of material, and dialog of conflict emerges: the transformation of boring into beautiful requires a staggering amount of waste. Styrofoam Cups (Detail) Paper Plates Paper Plates (Detail Ripped & Stacked Tarpaper Ripped & Stacked Tarpaper (Detail) Cut Electrical Wire ...Read more
NEW Illiterate Themes!
Illiterate has two new themes to choose when submitting, CMYK+RGB and Trash to Treasure. Find out more in the Theme's section....Read more
